As HortSoc will be celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2011, to help mark this landmark year, we held a daffidil planting morning on Saturday 9th October 2010.

A group of members, watched by a few supporters, planted 230 native daffodils on Caley Green and the triangular green adjacent Bear Street. A small amount of top-up planting was done on the green-space at the entrance to Parkers Way.

We had to wait until spring to see the benefits but it was worthwhile. Although this was a relatively small planting the display brightened the entrance to the village. The grass cutting contractors are very helpful in cutting round the planted areas until the foliage has died down and this will encourage the bulbs to form stronger, larger clumps in future years.

HortSoc received many compliments during the Flower Festival in St James Church which was a real celebration of village organisations and businesses. 

There were a fantastic variety of imaginative displays; the rustic charm of Rushbank’s calf Daisy, the fun of the Scouts camp, the drama of the Village Players, the tranquillity of the W.I.‘s St Francis garden, displays of produce from the Allotment Holders and Transition Nayland – to name just a few - as well as the glorious floral arrangements which filled the church with scent.

We would like to thank all the organisations, businesses and individuals who worked so hard to provide the displays which achieved a colourful celebration of Nayland and its thriving community.

Our photograph album of the event is available to view (pdf 4Mb) - please note it may take a moment to download.

Hortsoc received many complimentary remarks on their floral display in the church for the Village Festival.  The pastel colours of the flowers they used reflected the natural effect appropriate to a village in  summer, which was further enhanced by the scent of lavender and rosemary emanating from the pew end decorations.  

Our grateful thanks go to Olive Noakes and all who worked so hard to achieve such a beautifully-decorated church – not only the very talented flower arrangers, but those who helped with the cleaning and tidying up which is an  important part of producing successful floral displays.   Donations totalling just under £15.00 were given to the church.

Photo Album of the Flower Festival (pdf 283Kb)

Although initiated by Joan Moore, secretary of HortSoc, who invited George Dawson, chairman of Anglia in Bloom, along to the society's AGM, Nayland's entry rapidly became a truly community affair.

Anglia in Bloom, the region's horticutural and environmental campaign, does not concentrate on floral displays but is concerned with the whole environment and community involvement in improving and enhancing the village.

On judging day after looking at displays of around 20 village societies the judges toured the village visiting the Meadow Project, Harper's Hill County Wildlife Site and Nayland Primary School's vegetable garden, wildlife pond and outdoor classroom.

Nayland Community Times coverage - August 2006
(pdf 362Kb)
Nayland Community Times coverage - October 2006
(pdf 302Kb)

BBC Radio 4's long-running and popular Gardeners' Question Time drew a capacity crowd to its double recording session in the Village Hall.  The team plantsman Matthew Biggs, scientist Pippa Greenwood and organic gardening expert Bob Flowerdew, led by Gill Pyrah, answered questions on topics ranging from 50-year old asparagus crowns, lily beetles, and used growbag compost  to aging flowering cherry trees.  The evening was not only made memorable by the informative answers to the twenty questions asked, but by the informal and friendly atmosphere created by the team.

The panel, in their turn, were impressed by the quality of questions asked, and the high turnout.  The afternoon visits to Rita Dibble, Andrew Gowen and Anne and Ray Spencer in their respective gardens proved particularly enjoyable and led to a number of pre-recorded questions and answers.  We hope the seeds and cuttings with which Bob Flowerdew filled his pockets (with the owners' permission) will grow and thrive.

Read more: Suffolk Free Press - 8 July 2004 (pdf 413KB)

A bulb planting morning was held on Sunday 13th October.

Native daffodils with some scilla were set on the triangular green at the entrance to Bear Street from the A134 and snopdrops planted under the Ash trees on Caley Green adjoining Bear Street.

Clumps of crocuses were planted under hedgelines of Pop's Piece and daffodils were planted to top-up those existing at the entrance of Parkers Way.

Village life in flowers
Nayland parish church was a mass of flowers for its festival weekend but it was its individual touches provided by each village organisation that made the displays so distinctive.

Nearly 30 societies and businesses took part in the millennium event organised by Nayland Horticultural Society and filled the church with original arrangements large and small, illustrating the exhibitors' activities.

Photo Album of the Festival (pdf 1.7Mb)

Suffolk Free Press - 21 September 2000
(pdf 293Kb)